The facilities managed by ICE have turned into death traps for immigrants during President Donald Trump’s second term in office as the fatality rate has increased more than two times, hitting record highs not seen since the beginning of fatality monitoring. According to the results of a groundbreaking study featured in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association, the fatality rate among immigrants held in the custody of ICE grew from 13.0 per 100,000 person-years in FY23 to 47.5 in FY25 and then jumped to a disturbing level of 88.9 in partial FY26.
The increase is more than seven times higher compared to FY23 and shows the highest rate recorded in the whole 22-year-long period of investigation, even surpassing that witnessed during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in FY20.
This bleak picture shows how fast things are deteriorating. As of Thursday, 47 deaths occurred in ICE custody since the beginning of the second Trump administration, with 17 deaths reported in the first three months of 2026 alone. In comparison, under former President Joe Biden’s four-year tenure, only 26 individuals passed away in ICE detention with an average of a death more than once every two months, that is, 0.54 deaths every month. In the short period of Trump’s second tenure, 47 deaths have occurred at an average rate of about two deaths every month, and 1.88 deaths on average each month until now, increasing further to 3.36 deaths every month since April 2026.
The Death Toll: 2025 Fuelled Record-Breaking Year, 2026 Exceeds All Expectations
For FY 2025, the deaths recorded in the ICE facility set a record for being the most deaths recorded in ICE detentions since 2005, where the death rate increased up to 31 people. It is worth noting that the death rate increased by more than two times the deaths recorded in FY 2024, which amounted to 11 people, as noted by Axios reports based on ICE press release analysis. Prior to that, the most deaths were recorded in 2020, amounting to 20 deaths due to the fast spread of the coronavirus in overcrowded detention facilities. According to Statista statistics, deaths in 2025 amounted to 33.
Up to October 2025, which marked the beginning of the federal fiscal year, there had already been 29 fatalities in ICE custody, exceeding the previous maximum of 28 deaths that took place in 2004 when the organization celebrated its first full year of operations. In 2026, ICE has recorded more deaths than occurred in 16 previous full years of the organization, with the figures being more than three times the previous year’s figures at that period. Up to April 30, 2026, ICE announced its 18th detention fatality in only four months, meaning that the organization would record another record for all time if the trend persists. In the first 10 days of 2026 alone, four deaths were recorded in ICE custody, among which there were two Hondurans, one Cuban, and another Cambodian migrant.
Causes of Death: Suicide, Organ Failure, and Medical Neglect Plague Detention Centers
The original reports released by ICE indicated that the deaths occurred for different reasons, pointing to some alarming trends related to medical issues, mental breakdowns, and deaths that could have easily been avoided with adequate healthcare provision. Specifically, among the six immigrants detained who died in the early part of 2026, four of the deaths were a result of suicide, withdrawal from alcohol, liver failure, and kidney failure. According to Senator Dick Durbin, one of the most prominent Democrats in the Senate, among the 17 individuals who died in immigration detention in 2026, most died from conditions such as cardiovascular disease and infections.
The worst incident was of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a Cuban who died at the age of 55 and was at first labeled as a suicide attempt and violence against security officers by ICE. But further investigation by the medical examiner’s office of El Paso County concluded that it was a homicide due to asphyxiation through choking of neck and body. The autopsy report showed that the victim died because of choking and compression of neck and body. There was no suicide or any violence against the security officer, contrary to what DHS claimed.
In addition, the following deaths have been reported: Royer-Jim who is a nineteen-year-old Mexican citizen and presumed suicide according to the agency, and Victor Manuel Diaz, who is a thirty-six-year-old Nicaraguan citizen and also presumed to be a case of suicide. Another victim of this case is Heber Sanchaz Domínguez who died as a result of being found hanged at a facility in Georgia, and whose death was presumed to be an act of suicide. The other person involved in this case is Emanuel Cleeford Damas who died due to breathing difficulty and possibly tooth infection.
Overcrowding and Facility Conditions: Camp East Montana Emerges as Deadliest Location
Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, has become the most lethal of all ICE facilities, having seen three deaths occur at the camp since it opened a year ago. The largest of all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers holds around 3,000 detainees each day within six large tent camps, resulting in a situation which is characterized by detainees and former detainees as overcrowded, filthy, and terrifying. Medical and psychological crises are common occurrences at the camp since it was established, according to documents released to the Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act request, which include accounts of violence, suicide attempts, and other medical emergencies reported in 100-plus 911 calls.
The detainees report living in noisy and unhygienic conditions as they try to gain access to their basic needs when diseases are breaking out around the facility. There were 911 calls indicating that there are 50 cases of heart attacks, 26 cases of seizures, and 17 cases of head injuries within just 400 cases during the six months of Trump’s presidency. There were seven reports of suicide and self-harm, like overdose and hanging, as well as six incidents of sexual abuse involving staff against the detainees. Detainees claim that they have lost weight because of hunger, the threat of security personnel using force against troublemakers, and lack of medical assistance with spoiled food or frozen meals.
It should be noted that there have been various issues regarding the rapid building and opening of the facility, among them, an outbreak of measles led to many Democrat senators supporting the facility’s closure. Violations found during inspections carried out by ICE inspectors at the Camp East Montana facility amounted to 49 violations to detention standards; among them was the inability of camp staff to maintain accurate records regarding the need to make necessary checks to prevent serious harm and suicide. Four of the inmates took the detention center to court in February due to negligence on health care.
Systemic Failures: Medical Care Denied, Oversight Eliminated, and Contracts Wasted
The spike in deaths is associated with operational changes that were seen in 2025, such as the disruption or discontinuation of monitoring processes, quick growth of the number of detainees who faced overcrowded conditions, and delayed medical treatment. ICE did not compensate third-party medical providers from October 2025 until today; therefore, it caused the failure to provide proper care and medical treatment for the immigrants. Internal reviews from ICE show serious violations of medical standards, which include the inability of the medical care providers to complete the medical charts and conduct screening without knowing any emerging or chronic conditions.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin detailed horrific conditions in immigration detention under Trump’s administration, stating that in fiscal year 2026, the death rate in ICE custody is higher than any year on record, higher even than the COVID-19 spike of 2020. During this calendar year alone, 17 people have already died in immigration detention, many from treatable conditions such as cardiovascular disease and infections. The administration’s decision to restrict congressional oversight visits to ICE facilities has intensified anxieties, contributing to calls for impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was removed from her position in March 2026 following the killings.
According to an investigation by the government’s accountability office, ICE spent millions of taxpayer money on food and maintenance charged at full capacity despite the fact that there were significantly fewer individuals being held at the camp compared to what the Army chose, which was a contract not flexible enough at low levels of occupancy. In March 2026, ICE changed contractors operating the biggest detention facility where ICE operates. The new contractor would be expected to improve health services among others considering the complaints received about living conditions that were inhumane.
Government Response: DHS Claims Per Capita Rate Stable Despite Surging Death Numbers
Despite the record-high number of deaths, the Department of Homeland Security has constantly supported the operations of ICE, claiming that there was no change in terms of deaths occurring during detention in 2025, and that the death ratio per head continued being constant. The statement released by the DHS to ABC News says, “Based on historical data of the last ten years, the rate of deaths in custody is 0.009% of the total number of those detained.” As of April 16, the rate of deaths in custody under the Trump administration is 0.009% of the total number of detainees, that is, one death for every 11,111 detainees.
It was also mentioned that ICE makes sure that immigrants are given proper health care, with each one receiving food, water, medicine, blankets, and clothing. They are given three meals a day, which is approved by the dieticians. In addition, the standards in ICE detention facilities are even higher compared to those in most U.S. jails, where there are U.S. citizens detained. According to DHS, each one is assessed for any medical, dental, and psychological needs within 12 hours of detention, while a thorough health assessment is done within two weeks after detention. However, there are cases wherein detainees find it hard to get their medications and other health services.
In response to the high number of deaths, the Acting Director of ICE, Todd Lyons, stated that this was due to the largest detention population that ICE has had since its formation in 2003, implying that the increase in deaths is a result of an increase in the population of detainees and not worsening conditions within the facilities. According to the Department, as the space has been rapidly increasing, ICE has offered a better level of care than most prisons, giving access to proper medical care that many illegal immigrants do not experience anywhere else in their lifetimes. However, according to JAMA researchers, there have been significant changes in the operations of these centers along with the recent rise in mortality rates.
At This Pace, 2026 Will Shatter All Records
Migration data expert Adam Sawyer from Relevant Research in Maryland offered shocking figures that illustrate how the number of deaths has spiked during Trump’s second term. According to his information, while the number of people who died during the four-year tenure of the Biden administration was 26, which amounts to slightly more than 0.54 deaths per month, there have been 47 deaths during Trump’s brief second-term, amounting to almost two deaths per month. Of the deaths that have occurred in the Biden administration, about half have occurred in the last fiscal year, suggesting that the rate of deaths among detainees had already been on an upward trend before Trump assumed power in 2025.
Karehhandeh from Detention Watch Network warned that the current situation will likely lead to many more fatalities if it persists, stating we have been alerting about this for more than a year, highlighting that conditions are deteriorating and deaths are increasing, and now we are witnessing that. The Migration Data Scientist noted that more people detained means more people will die, and at this pace we can expect the 2026 death toll to break last year’s record. Numbers show that the first 14 months of the second Trump administration represent the deadliest period for the federal detention system in recent years, surpassed only by 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic spiked mortality rates.
President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo denounced the killings and demanded that a complete examination be conducted into the conditions at the detention centers, following the murder of a 37-year-old mother by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The majority believe that the actions of the organization threaten the safety of Americans, with the popularity of ICE falling as more deaths occur due to the immigration crackdown launched by Trump. According to The Guardian, ICE has been building detention camps inside warehouses amid unprecedented fatalities, and President Trump doubled down on his policy of mass detention.